If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

2009 Game Developers Conference

Finalists named for second Independent Games Festival Mobile.

SAN FRANCISCO — Jan. 26, 2009 — The Independent Games Festival Mobile (IGF Mobile), an event that celebrates innovation in games for handheld devices, including mobile phones, DS, PSP, iPhone and iPod touch, has named the finalists for the second annual competition. The number of entries more than doubled – to over 100 – compared to last year’s inaugural competition, bolstered by a strong showing from the emergent iPhone and iPod touch platform – so much so that a special ‘Best iPhone Game’ category has been designated for the titles which best use the unique possibilities of the device. Winners of the 2009 IGF Mobile competition will be announced at a special ceremony during the Game Developers Conference® (GDC) Mobile conference on March 24, and additionally honored during the main Independent Games Festival Awards on March 25, 2009.

Some of the leading finalists for this year’s competition include stylish iPhone cube movement puzzler Edge (3 nominations), the technologically cunning Wardive on Nintendo DS, which uses local WiFi hotspots to generate enemies (3 nominations), and elegant iPhone ‘tower defense’-style title Fieldrunners (3 nominations). Games also nominated multiple times include Secret Exit's touch-controlled iPhone rope wrapping game Zen Bound and iconic tilt-controlled iPhone puzzler Dizzy Bee, with a number of Flash Lite and Java cellphone games, including the innovative Cubic Republic, also finalists.

This year’s IGF Mobile competition is supported by Platinum and Founding Sponsor NVidia – which is awarding ‘The Next Great Mobile Game’ at this year’s awards, with finalists to be revealed soon, as well as Gold Sponsor and Best iPhone Game prize sponsor ngmoco.

The full list of finalists for the 2009 IGF Mobile competition are:

IGF Mobile Best Game

Cubic Republic (IKS Mobile) – Flash Lite

Smiles (Sykhronics Entertainment) – iPhone/iPod touch

Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – iPhone/iPod touch

Edge (Mobigame) – iPhone/iPod touch

Wardive (And-or) – Nintendo DS

Innovation In Mobile Game Design

Wardive (And-or) – Nintendo DS

Galcon (Hassey Enterprises) – iPhone/iPod touch

Eliss (Steph Thirion) – iPhone/iPod touch

Achievement In Art

Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – iPhone/iPod touch

Dizzy Bee (Igloo Games) – iPhone/iPod touch

Ruben & Lullaby (Song New Creative) – iPhone/iPod touch

Technical Achievement

Football Tycoon (Dynamo Games) – Java

Real Racing (Firemint) – iPhone/iPod touch

Wardive (And-or) – Nintendo DS

Audio Achievement

Radio Flare (Studio Radiolaris) – iPhone/iPod touch

Zen Bound (Secret Exit) – iPhone/iPod touch

Edge (Mobigame) – iPhone/iPod touch

Best iPhone Game – Presented by ngmoco

Edge (Mobigame) – iPhone/iPod touch

Dizzy Bee (Igloo Games) – iPhone/iPod touch

Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – iPhone/iPod touch

Zen Bound (Secret Exit) – iPhone/iPod touch

Frenzic (The Iconfactory) – iPhone/iPod touch

The IGF Mobile competition will have its own pavilion, adjoining the main IGF Pavilion and featuring playable versions of all of the finalists’ games, at Game Developers Conference 2009, set to take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from March 23rd to 27th.

“The mobile industry has seen incredible innovation and quality in mobile gaming, in particular with the rise of the iPhone and iPod touch platform,” said IGF Chairman Simon Carless. “The significant increase in the number of entries speaks to the unlimited possibility that exists in the mobile market, and the IGF is excited to acknowledge the importance of indie developers in the handheld game device space.”

The Independent Games Festival itself was established in 1998 to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers, much the way that the Sundance Film Festival honors the independent film community. The creation of IGF Mobile in 2007 was the direct response to the maturing of the mobile game industry, and the desire to similarly recognize and reward those driving the advancement of the space.

For more information on the Independent Games Festival Mobile finalists, visit www.igfmobile.com ; and to register for GDC, please visit www.gdconf.com.

About the Think Services Game Group

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the Think Services Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, GameCareerGuide.com, WorldsInMotion.biz, GameSetWatch.com, GamesOnDeck.com, SeriousGamesSource.com, the Game Developers Conference®, the Austin Game Developers Conference®, the Paris Game Developers Conference®, GDC Mobile, the Game Career Seminars, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. For more information, please visit: http://www.tsgamegroup.com/.

About Think Services, a division of United Business Media

Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using educational events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and innovative media. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The division’s flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI. Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media, a global media and marketing services company with a market capitalization of more than $1.6 billion. To learn more, visit www.think-services.com.

CONTACT: Sibel Sunar/Brian Rubin

fortyseven communications

323.658.1200

sibel@fortyseven.com / brian@fortyseven.com

Author
GamesIndustry International avatar

GamesIndustry International

Contributor

GamesIndustry International is the world's leading games industry website, incorporating GamesIndustry.biz and IndustryGamers.com.